Quinnen Williams crushed the NFL Scouting Combine, underlining the San Francisco 49ers’ conundrum if Nick Bosa is off the board when they pick.
For the San Francisco 49ers, the conversation surrounding this draft has mainly been focused on Nick Bosa. If he is on the board when they pick second overall, most expect them to take him. However, the debate over what the Niners will do if he is selected first overall has raged throughout the pre-draft process, and those in favour of San Francisco picking Quinnen Williams in such a scenario received a boost to their argument at the NFL Combine on Sunday.
Should Bosa be off the board by the second pick, then Alabama defensive tackle Williams and Kentucky pass rusher Josh Allen are viewed as the most likely options for the Niners.
Allen, as an edge rusher who could fill the SAM linebacker role and operate as a defensive end in subpackages, would fill a more pressing need. However, the thought of Williams operating on the interior with 49ers Pro Bowler DeForest Buckner is an extremely enticing one, and the Crimson Tide star’s performance in Indianapolis made that prospect more alluring.
Williams produced two stunning runs of the 40-yard dash, completing his second in officially 4.83 seconds, with a 10-yard split of 1.67 seconds, at a weight of 303 pounds.
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It is no secret that Williams is explosive. He has an incredible ability to disengage from blocks and burst into the backfield in a blink of an eye and has the potential to be a day-one difference maker against both the run and the pass at the next level.
However, teams now have a quite remarkable number to mark next to his name and, as much as Allen — whose aptitude in coverage would give defensive coordinator Robert Saleh more ways to vary and disguise his blitzes — is an excellent fit for the 49ers defense, San Francisco may have a very hard time passing up the chance to adding a player with Williams’ gifts to an already stacked interior defensive line.
The level of talent they already have up front could make it easier for them to do so. San Francisco already has three first-round picks on the D-line in Buckner, Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas as well as solid rotational pieces such as Ronald Blair, Sheldon Day and D.J. Jones.
Adding Williams to the mix could present a potential problem as to how the 49ers manage to get all their D-Line talent on the field. Yet Williams has the positional flexibility to play the 1-technique and 3-technique in San Francisco’s 4-3 front and, for those who believe he should be the pick, the argument will be that the best teams make players with his elite skill set fit their system regardless of scheme or other personnel.
The question of Williams or Allen would be a significant conundrum for a 49ers team desperate for edge help but aware of the impact of having two dominant interior players like Buckner and Williams, though it is one they may not have to face.
The Arizona Cardinals could take Williams with their first pick, as he would be an ideal nose tackle in their 3-4 system, or they could go down the path many now expect them to take and select a new franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray.
In each of those scenarios, Bosa, the best edge rusher in the draft, would be on the board, leaving the Niners with a no-brainer selection. Having to decide between Williams and Allen is a very nice problem to have. However, it is looking increasingly likely it is one to which the 49ers will never have to find the answer.